He shrugged again. “What can I say? People dig the Maxmeister.”
“Maxmeister, really?” I scoffed.
“You’re only jealous I have a social life and you… well, don’t.”
My expression dropped.
He was right, I was jealous. It had always come so easy to him. Making friends. Being the life and soul of the party. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy having fun. I did. But I found it difficult to connect with people. Miles had been my people.
And now I didn’t even have him.
“I’m going to bed,” I said, taking off toward the hall.
“Hey, come on. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m a dick. I say the wrong thing all the time. It’s like my…”
I kept going, ignoring his apology.
I’d been so sure going to see Zane and Miriam was the right thing to do, but it had only left me feeling worse than ever.
Zane wanted me, I didn’t doubt that. But I wasn’t sure he would ever see past our differences to truly accept me.
I couldn’t win.
I was a good person. Kind and compassionate, if not a little overbearing at times. I loved hard and stood up for what was right. Sure, maybe my brain processed things a little differently to the average teen, but I didn’t flaunt my intelligence or use it against people. If anything, sometimes I wished I wasn’t so smart. It had only ever brought me crushing disappointment and the heavy weight of my parents’ expectations.
Graduating with honors, getting accepted to Columbia, and pursuing a career as a doctor was their dream.
Not mine.
I just didn’t know how to make them see that.
Zane
“Grams, you okay in there?”I rapped my knuckles on her door.
“I’m okay,” she called, but there was a distinct lull in her voice.
“I’m coming in.” I waited a second or two before gently pushing the door open. “What’s wrong?”
She was sitting up in bed, staring at nothing, her eyes slightly glazed over.
“Oh, I’m just tired.” Her smile was tight, failing to hide the truth.
“Dizzy? Light-headed?”
“No, dear. Come, sit.” She patted the edge of the bed, and I went to her. “Tell me about last night. Did… did Celeste get… home okay?”
I tensed at the mention of her.
“I walked her to her car and then I assume she went straight home.”
Things had gotten out of hand. I’d meant to toy with her a little. Maybe get her off and add new material to my spank bank. I hadn’t anticipated that the second I pulled her onto my lap that things would go from zero to sixty. If she hadn’t frozen up when I got a little too mouthy, I would have ended up deep inside her. I had no doubt about that.
Only, I couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“You didn’t check?”
“She’s seventeen, Grams. Pretty sure she’s capable of getting home.”